Most first-time stalking offenses are charged as misdemeanors, and it is not infrequent that perpetrators are released after the arraignment "on their own recognizance"--also known as "personal bond"--without financial bail, that is, the posting of cash or a secured (monetary) bond. In the cases where financial bond is set, often the amounts seem extraordinarily high, perpetrators seem able to come up with the money and obtain release. An option in many jurisdictions is that the arrestee is allowed to post just 10 percent of the bond set by the magistrate. [Today, in many jurisdictions, men charged with stalking simply walk out of jail without bail. This is one crime that should not be bailable.]
Melita Schaum and Karen Parrish, Stalked, 1995
Melita Schaum and Karen Parrish, Stalked, 1995
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